New B1G might be good for teams in the West

The good that might come out of this conference monstrosity is that at least for football the western schools will be in a conference that looks a lot like a traditional Big Ten conference with a traditional name like West - forget that Legends and Leaders stuff.

When I write B1G do you know I’m writing Big Ten? Granted my B1G is not the type style adopted by the B1G marketing geniuses, but that’s what a conference going to 14 teams gets when it still wants to be called Big Ten.

They came up with symbol - kind of like what ‘the artist formerly known as Prince’ did. Prince is still working through that and I imagine the B1G will be doing decades from now.

Hopefully the conference Over Lords don’t go to 20 teams because then B1G won’t work. It would have to become B2G.

Anyway with the addition of Rutgers and Maryland, the Big Ten is soon to be let’s see 14? It’s easy to lose count. First there were 10, then 11 with a logo that said ten but had an 11 ‘cleverly’ or not so cleverly hidden in it, then 12 for a couple of years with the B1G and now 14.

The good that might come out of this conference monstrosity is that at least for football the western schools will be in a conference that looks a lot like a traditional Big Ten conference with a traditional name like West - forget that Legends and Leaders stuff.

According to ESPN’s blogger Adam Rittenberg there would be an east and a west. the alignment would look something like this:

"East" division

Maryland

Michigan

Michigan State

Ohio State

Penn State

Rutgers

Purdue or Indiana

"West" division

Illinois

Iowa

Minnesota

Nebraska

Northwestern

Wisconsin

Purdue or Indiana

Purdue and Indiana would get split. As a Hawkeye, fan, I don’t care, unless a team would play more basketball games against your division. Then stick the Hoosiers in the East.

For football the West has a traditional Big Ten look. OK, we’ll take the Cornhuskers. Do you know they were originally called the Bug Eaters? They should go back to that name!

For football this alignment restores the Hawkeye-Badger rivalry. That was the biggest rivalry disruption of the last division alignment.

Minnesota loses it’s Brown Jug rivalry with Michigan, but it loses having to play Michigan every year.

Six of the seven teams in this arrangement are traditional Big Ten teams. That’s a plus. Also, if the truth be told, not having to play Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State every year in football is a plus for any West team.

Page 2 of 2 - Yeah, keep Rutgers and Maryland in the East. Maybe they’ll get tired of getting their brains beat out every year and leave.

And don’t get me going on giving Maryland a $20 to $30 milliion travel allowance to join the conference.